About the SF Scottish Fiddlers
The San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers began in 1986, created by Alasdair Fraser and his wife, Sally Ashcraft, with a small group of musicians who loved learning and playing the joyous and moving traditional music of Scotland.
The group membership now numbers more than 200 and is decisively inclusive, also welcoming those who play cello, viola, bass, guitar, percussion, flute or whistle, and piano–and, in one case, the musical saw.
Many of the original members are still with the Fiddlers, while new players, often in their teens or younger, sometimes with their parents, join every year.
The “fiddle club,” as longtime members call it, offers instrumentalists of all levels and every age the chance to play with and learn from each other. A significant number of young players have gone on to study at Juilliard, Berklee and other renowned music conservatories, and have established themselves in professional careers. But they always consider the Fiddlers to be their musical family.
The San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers meet monthly to play favorite tunes and learn new ones. Their repertoire over the years has expanded to include the music of Brittany, Galicia, Scandinavia and North America, while always returning to its musical home, the Scottish fiddle forms of dance, pipe tunes, and song.
Throughout the year, San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers musicians perform at farmers markets and other events around the Bay Area, frequently appear at SalesForce Park in San Francisco, and play at the Scottish Games in Pleasanton annually. A highlight of the Fiddlers’ year comes each spring when the group presents their Stravaig spring concerts in the greater Bay Area.
In April 2025, Caroline McCaskey became Music Director of the San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers, succeeding Alasdair Fraser.
Our music director:
Caroline McCaskey
Caroline McCaskey became music director of the San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers in 2025. She brings to the position deep roots in the genre-bending West Coast music scene and a career that spans regional traditional, improvising, and classical music worlds. She is the 2019 U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion and a two-time International Musical Saw Champion.
In demand as both a performer and educator, McCaskey is the author of the widely respected AltStrings Fiddle Method. She holds degrees in music composition and performance, along with Suzuki teaching certification in violin and cello. She also runs AltStringsAcademy.com, an online learning community for adult amateur string players focused on building technique, style, and musicianship.
In 2026, McCaskey presents a Tune-a-Day series on the @AltStrings YouTube channel, featuring all the songs from James Hunter’s The Fiddle Music of Scotland throughout the year. She is also the founder of two immersive professional development events for musicians: ThePracticeSummit.com and TheGrooveSummit.com.
Not just Scottish, not just fiddles, not just in San Francisco – play with us!
The San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers have been enjoying playing music--and each other's company--since their beginnings in 1986 when acclaimed Scottish-born fiddler Alasdair Fraser and his wife, Sally Ashcraft, opened their home to a small group of friends who knew they wanted to play more of the traditional tunes of Scotland.
As the small group got bigger and more musicians came to play, they began presenting public concerts, and have been delighting audiences ever since.
Now known as Stravaig, the Fiddlers' spring concert series brings the Fiddlers' enthusiasm and artistry to three different Bay Area venues in one weekend.
The Fiddlers welcome players of all ages and skill levels, and at any given time the membership includes parents and children who love to play together and find a musical home with the group.
The repertoire has also expanded over the years to embrace not only new tunes written in the Scottish traditional style, but music from Brittany, Spain, Canada and further afield. The style is still traditional, the tunes are infectious, and the effect is joyful.
Groups from the San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers are available to perform in schools, retirement communities and other venues from farmers markets and fairs to Celtic and contra dances, and highland games.
The SFSF was featured in an award-winning documentary, The Groove is not Trivial (thegroovemovie.com) about Alasdair Fraser, our founder and music director. The film premiered at the 2016 Mill Valley Film Festival and won the Audience Choice Award.
To learn more about the San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers, go to https://www.sfscottishfiddlers.org
The San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers is a division of The Scottish Fiddlers of California, a registered 501(c)(3) organization, #95-4063752.